US Visa Applicants, here's some news for you. If you are one of those aspirants desperately waiting to get a US visa appointment, then we have something to cheer about. The US Embassy in India has announced that a number of B1/B2 interview waiver appointments have been opened for the coming months in Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai.

The U.S. Embassy tweeted, "Looking for a B1/B2 interview waiver (dropbox) visa appointment? Good news! We've opened a number of B1/B2 interview waiver appointments for the coming month in Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai. "Book now in time for holiday travel."

The current wait time for a B1/B2 interview waiver appointment is 233 days in Delhi, 297 days in Mumbai, and 171 days in Chennai. In India, the waiting period for first-time applicants for B-1 (business) and B-2 (and tourist) visas has increased to nearly three years. Since the country started application processing after the outbreak, the line for Indians seeking US visas has been lengthy.

The US has taken various initiatives in the last two months to reduce the waiting period for Indians. However, given the massive backlog caused by the pandemic travel restriction and the massive number of applications received by the county, the interview appointment wait period is expected to last many months.

According to the report, a senior official from the US Embassy in Delhi recently stated that the country is making more applicants eligible for interview waivers, as well as sending drop box cases abroad for adjudication and hiring temporary staffers, in order to expedite visa processing in India.

According to the study, while visa applications are nearly back to pre-Covid levels, the manpower at US missions in India to process them is unlikely to be restored until late next summer.